The Rain Heals All
by HarryPotter009
Summary: The Boss had taken Carlos' death incredibly hard and was waiting to get her revenge. Can she ever get over his death or will this tragedy haunt her forever? Will she get her revenge or die trying? First Saints Row fanfic, set in SR2 and based loosely on the missions. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Rain

**Kia ora! How are you all? Great, awesome, fantastic! Anyway, this is my first fanfiction for Saints Row and I really hope I did it justice. This fanfic is set in Saints Row 2 and it DOESN'T follow the missions, mainly because I haven't finished the game yet, but also because I wanted to focus on the Boss. **

**Now, this is set after Carlos dies and it surrounds the Boss trying to deal with her pain (in my story, they had been together for a year). I'm going to explain more things in flashbacks, so don't worry, you shall see the background of the Boss. I've tried to incorporate my own feelings into this as I too have lost someone I've loved dearly, and I know how it feels to want revenge. **

**So, please enjoy and feel free to give me some feedback on what I could do to improve it, or if there's anything you want added to the story.**

**AND, I still don't know if the Boss and Johnny are going to get together... I feel that they're better as friends, but we shall see.**

**ON WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

There was blood _everywhere_. It was splattered all over the ground, and it left a trail right to him.

He was whining, keening, trying not to make a sound but the noises came out on their own. He could feel pain everywhere, _fuckin' everywhere. _ Heart was still beating though, still beating after all of this. Everyone had said he always had a good heart; he didn't think they could mean it literally.

The rain was pouring now, washing away some of the blood. He had always loved the rain, loving its calming sound and whole-heartedly believing that the rain had healing qualities. It was washing away his pain and he remembered what his mother had told him when he was little.

"Remember baby, when you're in pain, God is crying for you. His tears wash away your pain."

He hadn't always been religious, but when you grow up in a Catholic household you learn to believe whatever your mother tells you.

He tried praying, hoping it would ease his pain further. He couldn't speak, but he could still think.

"God, please take away this pain." He stopped and thought of what he _really _wanted. "Just let me see her again. Just one more time, I want to look at her face and I want to hear her voice."

And like that, he heard a scream.

"No! Oh shit, fuck, fuck, fuck!" She raced towards him, skidding on her knees next to him. She gently rolled him over so he was on his back. He couldn't help but let the screams go.

"It's okay, I'm here now. Please hold on... just fucking hold on!" She sprinted to the chain that was holding him to the truck and kicked it, hoping it would magically break apart, releasing him to her.

The tears started to flow down her face but she angrily brushed them off. Crying wasn't going to solve anything now.

Heart dropping, she walked over to him, taking in the whole sight. She could feel her stomach heave when she realised that the white on his face was his bone. There was an eye missing, but his other eye stared at her, pleading.

His torso was ripped to shreds, muscle and tendons were exposed. There was nothing left of the beautiful man that she loved.

"It's alright Carlos; I'm going to get help." She fumbled for her phone with cold, wet hands. The dial tone kept ringing and ringing. "Fuck!" She screamed at the screen, starting to panic.

She tried several numbers including Johnny's phone and Shaundi's. She knew she was getting desperate when she was ringing random rookie Saints.

Carlos' breathing was getting quicker as he started to panic; the pain was getting much worse now. He managed to get her attention and he held her gaze. Even with his missing eye he could take in her beauty. Her blond hair framed her blue eyes and perfect, angular features. Her eyes were red as she tried to hold back the angry tears.

_Don't cry, Nena._

His eye dropped to the gun that was strapped to her thigh, its cold metal glinting in the moonlight. She followed his gaze, her eyes widening when she realised where he was looking.

"No, Carlos – NO!" She screamed the panic obvious in her voice. Her breathing increased rapidly, her chest heaving, lungs trying to grasp more oxygen.

Carlos weakly held up a hand and grabbed her arm. He tried with all his might to plead, but his voice wasn't working.

_Please, Nena, I can't take this pain anymore._

The tears that were in eyes now spilled over her eyelids and onto her cheeks. She snorted hard, trying to stop her runny nose. It was so fucking cold, though... so fucking cold.

"But... B- But I love you." She whispered to him, as though that was reason enough to keep him alive.

_I love you too, Nena. God knows I love you too._

Her shaking hand slowly made its way to the cold gun. She stared at it for a second, taking in the fact that this was going to end Carlos' life. This stupid, small pistol was going to end this wonderful man.

She grasped onto his hand tightly, holding on for dear life. Though it needed to be done, she couldn't do it.

"I can get help, Carlos. Someone will come and we can you to the hospital and then you can stay with me, where you belong." She whispered in a hurry, trying to convince the both of them.

Carlos gave a weak shake of his head, the pained whines still escaping his torn mouth. He tried to tell her telepathically that it was too late for him.

He managed to eventually whisper two words in a harsh growl, "love you."

She nodded at him, the tears flowing freely now. "I love you too Carlos."

She took aim at his head and pulled the trigger before she could second- guess herself.

The shot rang out as Carlos left the world.

* * *

"Where the fuck is she?!" Johnny asked, trying to concentrate on the road ahead of him.

Shaundi was desperately ringing every Saint she could find, asking where the Boss was. "I don't know, Johnny, no one can find her!"

Johnny ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm down. "Who have you asked?"

"Pierce, Tobias, Luke, Leah, Troy and Marcus," Shaundi rattled off the list.

"Have you tried Carlos?"

Shaundi nodded, "He was the first one I tried, but there was no answer."

"Fuck!" Johnny exclaimed as he swerved around a car that was blocking the road.

Shaundi was now starting to panic. Where the fuck could the Boss be? No one had seen her since that afternoon, and now no one knew where she was.

"Maybe she's just with Carlos, and she doesn't want to be disturbed?" Shaundi speculated, trying to convince herself.

"No, this isn't like the Boss," Johnny answered, "She would tell us where she was going."

Shaundi silently nodded, trying not to lose her head. All of a sudden, Shaundi jumped and screamed, pointing out the window, "There! She's over there, Johnny!"

Johnny followed where Shaundi was pointing and saw the Boss walking down the road in the pouring rain. He pulled over to the curb and hurriedly jumped out of the car. He ran over to the Boss and turned her around by the shoulders.

He gasped when he saw her; she had blue lips, her cheeks were bright red and she was shaking like a leaf. But it was her eyes that were scaring him the most; they were vacant, staring into thin air. She couldn't even focus on Johnny.

"Boss, are you ok? We've been looking all over the fucking city for you." Johnny said, trying to her attention.

Shaundi raced out of the car, catching up with them both, "Holy shit, Johnny. What the fuck is wrong with her?"

"I don't know," Johnny answered, "She's not even looking at me; she's just staring into space. We need to get her into the car and take her home; she's going to catch her death out here."

Shaundi took hold of one shoulder, while Johnny took the other one. They both steered her towards the car, while she walk obediently. With the both of them, they managed to get her into the car and strap her in.

"Johnny, give me your jacket," Shaundi commanded, "We need to keep her warm."

Johnny nodded and pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around the Boss. She didn't even respond.

"Should we ring Luke and tell him we found her?" Shaundi asked.

Johnny nodded as he got into the car. "He'll want to know that we found his sister."

They sped off to the hideout while Shaundi rang Luke.

"Luke? Hey, we found her but she's in bad shape. Have you tried getting a hold of Carlos?" Shaundi nodded as she listened to Luke giving her the news that no one had heard from Carlos. "Shit, ok. Well, we're about to pull into the hideout with her. Someone turn on the shower immediately so we can get her warm. Ok, cool. See you soon."

"Luke's sorting out the shower." Shaundi told Johnny who just looked at the Boss with a worried expression.

When they had pulled into the hideout, they immediately steered the Boss to her bedroom.

"It'll be quicker if I carry her." Johnny said as he picked her up and carried her bridal style, holding her tightly against his chest.

Johnny carried her to her room and started to undress the Boss without even thinking.

"Whoa, whoa!" said Shaundi, "Carlos will kill you if he catches you doing that. I'll shower her, just get out of here."

He left without even looking back.


	2. Dreams

**Hi everyone! This chapter is really random but I was in a weird mood when I wrote it, so it may not make sense. I'll probably rewrite it at some point. The dream is really weird too but I had the idea when I was watching a horror movie and I thought it would fit quite well. **

**Anyway, here we are. Enjoy!**

* * *

There was warm water pouring over my body, waking me up slightly. I moved my head and noticed that Shaundi was washing me. I would have been weirded out if it was under different circumstances.

"Where's Carlos?" Shaundi asked, "We can't get hold of him."

I looked down at myself and noticed the grazes on my knees where I had rushed to Carlos. The night's events came rushing back to me. Carlos with half of his face missing and his beautiful, coffee brown eye missing from its socket... It's all I could think of.

"He's dead." I managed to choke out.

Shaundi gasped and reeled back. "What the hell happened?"

I took a deep breath and turned off the shower; I was sick of its warmth. "The Brotherhood dragged him behind a truck and I had to shoot him. But I don't want to talk about it right now," was all I could manage.

"Boss, please tell me wha-"

"I said I don't want to _fucking_ talk about it." I growled, getting out of the shower myself. I was sick of being this zombie whom everyone had to carry around.

_He's dead and you killed him. This is all your fault. He's ever coming back, so get the fuck over it._

I shook my head, trying to get the ugly thoughts out of my mind. This _was_ all my fault, but I would get revenge on Mauro. I would get mine and Carlos' revenge.

* * *

"Carlos is dead." Shaundi told Johnny as she walked into the lounge with a pile of wet towels. "She told me that the Brotherhood had chained him to a truck and dragged him down the road. She said she shot him, but she wouldn't tell me anymore."

Johnny blanched; Carlos was dead?

"What the fuck? The Brotherhood did this?"

Shaundi shrugged with a sad expression on her face.

"I'm going to go and talk to her." Johnny said as he stood up and headed for the bedroom that the Boss and Carlos had shared.

"No!" Shaundi yelled, running to step in front of Johnny. "Just leave her alone for a bit. I _just _got her to sleep."

Johnny pushed Shaundi out of the way and stepped into the bedroom.

The Boss was asleep, holding onto Carlos' pillow, looking peaceful. Johnny stood there for a minute, taking in the sight. He too had held onto Aisha's possessions after she had died. Though he had told no one except for the Boss, he had bottle of her perfume that he used to sniff when he was feeling particularly upset.

Johnny looked around the room and saw how Carlos' things and the Boss' things were intertwined. They had only been together for a year; mere baby steps in comparison to how long he and Aisha had been together.

But they deserved longer. They deserved so much _fucking _longer. The Boss was only ever happy when Carlos was around and now she was a fucking wreck. He had no idea if she was ever going to be happy again.

Johnny sighed and walked out of the room so the Boss could get some decent sleep. This whole thing was such a fucking mess and he didn't know if he could fix it this time.

* * *

_My mind was foggy and it was hard to breath. My chest was tight, lungs trying to grasp more oxygen. I felt sick; I could feel the bile rise in my throat. I swallowed, trying not to heave. _

_Where the fuck was I?_

_Looking around the room, I realised that I was in the bedroom that I shared with Carlos. Where was he?_

"_Carlos?" I called out, trying not to pass out and steadying myself on the bed._

_The door opened and he stepped in, shuffling slowly._

_I sighed with relief, "Uh, there you are. I was so worried."_

_I was just about to hold my arms out to him when I looked closely at him. He was covered in blood and his chest and face was torn, muscle and bone exposed. I gasped and rushed to him, almost falling over. _

"_Carlos, what the fuck happened to you?!" I yelled at him._

_He groaned and held onto my arms. His skin was so fucking cold; it felt like I was touching a piece of marble. He opened his mouth and gargled. He wasn't making any sense. Why the hell wasn't he speaking to me properly? And who the fuck had done this to him?_

_Before I knew what he was doing, he was pointing to my stomach and started stroking it. I stepped away; this was feeling weird. Carlos was scaring me now._

"_Carlos, stop that." I commanded, but he kept shuffling over to me, putting his hands on my stomach._

"_Este es nuestro bebé." He eventually grunted out. You didn't need to be fluent in Spanish to know what that meant._

_I looked down at my stomach and noticed it had grown bigger, so big that it was filling the gap between Carlos and I._

"_No... No, this can't be real. This is some fucking stupid dream." I told myself out loud._

_Before I knew what was happening, there was a sharp pain and an arm was dangling out of the wound in my stomach. I screamed and held onto my abdomen, trying to stop the pain. The arm suddenly started to rip my stomach to shreds, trying to get out._

"_Carlos, help me!" I yelled, but he only smiled slightly._

"_Nuestro bebé," Was all he said._

_I kept screaming until the darkness fell around me._

* * *

I woke up with sweat pouring down my face, soaking the sheets. I gasped and tried to fill my lungs with oxygen; I was feeling so light-headed now. Shaundi had given me some sort of tranquilizer (without my permission, I might add) so my body was still trying to get over that.

Sniffing, I looked around the room. It was like nothing had happened. It was like Carlos was still alive. In all honesty, it felt like nothing had happened last night, and for one stupid minute, I thought maybe it _hadn't._

"Hey there..."

I jumped when I realised Johnny was sitting in the chair adjacent to the bed. Trying to calm my heart, I frowned slightly at him. "What are you doing here?"

Johnny shrugged his shoulders with a look of sadness. "I needed to keep an eye on you. You woke up last night and insisted we get you up to take you to the doctor. Said you had an arm ripping through your stomach or some shit."

I blushed when I realised that I had vocalised my dream. Shit and damn... I had always the annoying habit of talking in my sleep and a drug in your system really doesn't make matters better.

Johnny opened his mouth then closed it. He sat there for a minute, trying to think of what to say. I could see in his face that he was really struggling. "Look, I'm really sorry about Carlos. Especially because, you know... You had to do it yourself."The look on his face after that said he thought he had phrased that quite well.

I sighed and sunk back into the bed, pulling the covers over me and resumed hugging Carlos' pillow. It smelt like peppermint and coffee. A strange mixture that you think wouldn't work, but it does. He never used cologne; he just _always_ smelt like that heavenly scent.

"I don't want to talk about Carlos," I replied, "At least not yet."

Johnny sighed and walked over to the bed. He crawled onto the bed and lay next to me, "It's going to be fucking tough, ya know," Johnny said, "You're going to feel guilty, then sadness and eventually you'll get over it. Even if it does take some time, you'll get there."

I knew he was referring to his experience with Aisha and the trouble he had had. But he didn't kill Aisha, the Ronin did. I killed Carlos, pulled the trigger and ended his life. I should have been the one to have been dragged behind the truck. Guilt seeped into me as I realised that Carlos should be sitting here, and I should be the one with the fucking bullet hole between my eyes.

"Johnny, I appreciate your advice, I really do. But I still don't want to talk about it."

He nodded with a look on his face that said he could wait until later. I rolled over and stared at the wall of the room. There was a picture of Carlos and I after we had been to a party, hanging on the wall. We were both looking at each other and you could see the happiness in our eyes; you could tell we belonged together.

Before I knew it, the tears were flowing freely again. A sob hitched in my chest and I buried my face in Carlos' pillow, trying to absorb his scent. I just wanted him back. I wanted him to be next to me, not Johnny.

Johnny rolled me over and hugged me to his chest. It felt comforting and familiar, as I remembered that I fell asleep every night in Carlos' arms, in this exact position. I looked up at Johnny and I felt like it was wrong. Hugging Johnny was wrong, and I didn't like it.

"I'm, um, going to get something to eat," I said to Johnny, getting up slowly from the bed.

Johnny quickly got off the bed and rushed around to help me out of bed. I growled quietly and frowned at him. "Johnny, I'm not an invalid. I'm sure I can get up by myself."

Johnny sneered at me and let go of my arm. I suddenly dropped to the floor with a thud. He laughed at the look on my face with a sneer. "So you don't need help you say?"

I looked up at him and growled. "Fine, do what you damn well please. Help me up; you can even carry me if you like."

I regretted saying that when he picked me up and carried me to the kitchen, plopping me down on one of the bar stools that were next to the kitchen. I looked outside and noticed it was bright and sunny. It was disgusting weather for such a sad day. "Hey, what's the time?"

"9:47," Johnny answered as he started to pull pans out of the cupboards. He heated up the pans and started to cook bacon and scrambled eggs.

I smiled at him and asked, "Since when can you cook?"

He smiled back, "Since my mother made me look after my younger siblings and forced me to learn how to cook. Rotten old cow..."

I smiled internally; Johnny loved his mother more than anything in the world. I suddenly stopped smiling when I remembered...

"Carlos used to cook me bacon and eggs all the time," I smiled a little bit, "He said I needed to fatten up."

Johnny laughed a small, awkward laugh. "He was right; you're practically skin and bone."

I glared at him, "You know I have a fast metabolism and can't gain weight easily." It had always been a sore spot with me. It wasn't fair that I was stuck with this gangly, skinny body while Shaundi had perfect curves.

Johnny just laughed as he started to plate up the food. I notice with relief that he made food for himself. He started to dig in, but I could only pick at my food, the smell of the bacon starting to make me feel sick.

When Johnny had finished, he cleared his throat. "I know you don't want to talk about him Boss, but I gotta ask... What the fuck happened?"

I sighed dejectedly and I knew that I had to tell him. He would get it out of me sooner or later.

"Ok... Well, Jessica was pissed that we messed with Maero's ink and that we had ruined his 'handsome face'," I quoted with disgust, "Anyway, I got a call from her, saying that because I had ruined her man's face, she was going to ruin _my _man's face. She kidnapped Carlos, and..."

I breathed deeply, trying to continue with the story, trying not to think of Carlos' face with his torn skin and missing eye. Johnny urged me on, "She had him chained to the back of a truck, face down, and some Brotherhood members drove through the docks with him. I chased them, shot the Brotherhood assholes and tried to free Carlos."

Johnny put a hand on my shoulder and I realised that I was sobbing, struggling for breath, "But I couldn't get the chain free, and he had lost a lot of blood. He wanted me to kill him, Johnny. He looked at my fucking gun and pleaded with me to shoot him. So I did."

I finished the story in a hurry, trying not to think of the night's events that were still stamped freshly in my mind. Johnny let out a deep breath and gave me an awkward, one armed hug.

"I know how it feels Boss," He said, trying to comfort me, "But Carlos would want you to move on and be happy. He wouldn't want you to walk around like a zombie."

I reeled away from the words like I had been slapped. Johnny looked at me with concern and I had to fight the urge to both throw up, and slap him around the face.

"How the fuck would you know what this is like?" I spat at him, "You didn't have to fucking kill Aisha! I had to sit there next to the man that I loved and I had to SHOOT HIM IN THE FUCKING HEAD!" I screamed, now getting hysterical.

"Whoa, Boss. Chill out, you know I didn't mean it like that," He said as he put his hands up in the air.

"And how would you know what Carlos would want? You didn't even like him!" I retaliated.

Johnny reeled back and looked at me with horror, "How the fuck could you say that? Of course I liked him!"

I stood up and started walking to my room. I looked over my shoulder and yelled, "You always hated Carlos because I chose him over you. You never thought he was good enough for me! Well, you know what?" I asked, "He was the best thing to ever happen to me. Even better than the cocky Mr. Johnny Gat..."

Slamming the door, I ran over to my bed and crawled in, trying not to throw up. The world was spinning, making me dizzy and confused. Everything was crumbling around me and Carlos wasn't there to help me. Not this time, and never again.

_I can't fucking do this... I don't know what I'm going to do._

My phone started to ring, interrupting my thoughts. I sighed and pulled it out of my phone and answered straight away when I looked at the caller I.D.

"Hey Luke, what's up?" I mumbled to my brother.

I could hear him sighing on the other end of the phone, "I should be asking you the same thing. How are you feeling?"

"Sick... I feel like I'm about to throw up every 5 seconds."

Luke grunted, "Sis, I mean... How are you feeling about Carlos?"

A wave of sickness flooded over me. I wish everyone would stop asking me about him; I wanted to grieve in peace.

"Considering that I had to shoot him the head, yeah, I'm fine." I answered, sarcasm dripping in my voice.

"I'm coming over right now. We need to talk about this... We need to arrange some things."

Before I could stop him, Luke had hung up.

Fuck.


	3. Hi everyone (quick update)

Hi everyone! Sorry that this is not an update, but one is coming tomorrow.

Anyway, I have put up a cover image for this story and I know it's not the best, but it gives you an idea of what the Boss looks like. AND I know that the image is from SS:TT but I like the graphics more and this is how I wanted the Boss to look :) I will post a better image soon.

Thank you to the reviews that I have received!


	4. Goodbyes

**Hi guys! This chapter is just about the funeral and we will also see a little bit of the Boss' background (though not all of it!). I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review and if you enjoyed it, feel free to press the favourite button! **

* * *

Luke sauntered through the penthouse, heading for the bar, knowing one of the lieutenants would be there. He hurried over when he saw Gat sitting at the bar, drinking a beer. "Hey Gat," Luke greeted, "Where is she?"

Johnny turned around and pointed to her room, swaying as he did so. Shit. He was already pissed. "You might not want to go in there, bro. She's pissed off, at me, at everyone."

Luke sighed and nodded, "Grieving will do that to ya. You of all people should know that, Gat." He turned on his heel and walked towards her room, the one she shared with Carlos. He knocked before he stepped into the room and looked around. She wasn't in here. Suddenly, Luke heard a noise coming from the ensuite and cautiously walked in.

She was leaning over the toilet, throwing up. Shoulders shaking, she retched again and vomited into the bowl. Luke sighed and ran a hand through his spiky, blond hair. He wasn't good with vomit.

"Hey Sis... You alright...?" He asked.

She soon stopped throwing up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah, I'm fucking peachy. Can't you tell?" She asked with sarcasm.

Luke blanched and handed her a towel, trying not to touch her. "I just needed to make sure you're alright. And um..." He said awkwardly, clearly not wanting to carry on, "The cops found Carlos' body. He's at the hospital... In the mo-"

She cut him off, "Yeah, I can guess where he is. I already know he won't be in fucking recovery..."

"The cops are now blaming the Brotherhood, saying someone tried to stop them and failed. They covered up about the fact that the guys driving were murdered."

She looked up with a puzzled expression on her face, "How did you know that?"

Luke gave a small smile, "Heard it from the guy at the hospital that Shaundi's fucking."

The Boss gave a small smile as well, "Sounds about right," She sighed and carried on, "I'm fine, you know. I just want to be left alone to have some time to think. To think about what I'm going to do."

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked with caution.

The Boss looked at him like he was stupid, "I'm going to get revenge, obviously. I'm going to crush Jessica and Maero my fucking self."

Luke sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "Shouldn't we bury... _Him_ first, before we even start to think about revenge."

She shook her head as if to clear it and moaned, "He only died a day ago... I can't think about burying him, Luke. I just can't do it."

Luke nodded sympathetically. He knew this was going to be hard, but Carlos still had a family. He still had a mother and siblings that cared for him. She wasn't the only one who had lost a loved one.

"You know Carlos had a family. His mother and siblings would want to bury him the way they want to..."

She just stared into space, not answering. After a minute, she finally woke from her stupor, "I loved him the most. I know what he would have wanted."

Luke knew she wasn't thinking straight, but she was still scaring him. What the fuck was wrong with his baby sister? She had had a rough life, he knew that. With an alcoholic mother, absent father and abusive step-father, their upbringing wasn't exactly kosher.

Their sister, Maria, had committed suicide after being sexually abused by their step-father, Phil, for years. Luke had found her, hanging from the hallway rafters. Her vacant, dead eyes staring at him still haunted him to this day. Luke knew that Phil was now sexually abusing his little sister (who was 14 by then) but he still did nothing about it. He couldn't; he was scared of Phil and as soon as he had turned 18, he ran away and joined the Third Street Saints. Luke still hated himself for leaving her behind, but he couldn't do anything... Or so he told himself, every fucking day.

The day that she had walked into the headquarters of the Third Street Saints was the best and worst day of his life. 4 years after running away and the look she had given him was enough to chill anyone's heart. The look of betrayal was like a punch to the face.

She was covered in blood and red streaked through her blond hair. Her blue eyes were wide, cold and unforgiving. They were the eyes of a killer. Luke didn't have to ask; he could already tell that she had killed Phil. Her first kill and he couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more than their evil stepfather.

He was then forced to watch as she was canonised, a ritual that he himself had been through 4 years ago. He watched as she was punched and kicked. They break you so you don't break. Everyone had to go through it and nearly everyone passed out. But not her; she stood up at the end and looked around, daring anyone else to punch her. Julius thought she was the best little fighter he had ever seen.

And that was that; his baby sister was now a ruthless killer. She felt like the whole fucking world was against her and the only way she would ever feel better was to kill anyone in her path. She eventually forgave Luke, assuring him that she held no grudge but she would kill him if he every betrayed her again. Luke could tell she was very serious.

"Luke?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "I think I should go and sort everything out... I think Carlos deserves to be buried with dignity."

Luke nodded and held a hand out to her and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go then."

* * *

Carlos' funeral had gone better than I expected. Johnny insisted on saying something nice at the funeral, perhaps to show me that he did care about Carlos. I, of course, knew he did but I had been angry and upset. Words tend to fall out of my mouth when I'm in that kind of mood.

Most of the funeral was a blur as I spent most of the time staring at the casket.

_Carlos is in that box. I should be the one in that fucking coffin, not him._

After the ceremony, as everyone went home, a small Hispanic woman came up to me and cursed at me in Spanish, blaming me for her baby's death. I could only stand there, taking it, knowing she was right. I had just put my head up, about to apologise when her hand whipped out with lightning speed and slapped me across the face, making my head snap back and hurting my neck. Carlos' big brother, Marcus, rushed up to his mother and stopped her from slapping me again.

"I'm sorry, Boss, she's just upset," He apologised, fear on his face. He knew what I usually did to people who embarrassed me.

I put a hand to my face and shook my head, "Don't worry about it, Marcus. We're all upset." Marcus dragged his mother away as she started to howl, cursing me and telling me I was going to rot in hell.

_Don't worry, lady. I want to be there._

Johnny shuffled over to me and asked if I was alright. I sighed, but nodded my head, "Yeah, I'm fine, Johnny. She was just upset." I said, pointing to Carlos' mother who was sobbing next to his gravesite.

"No, I mean are you alright with," He paused and looked over to the gravesite, "all of this."

"Well, the funeral went well and that's all I could ask for, "I said, a tone of pride in my voice when I thought of my crew and the kind words they had for Carlos, "and, um, thanks for saying those nice things you said about Carlos. That meant a lot to me."

Johnny smiled and me and offered me a hug, which I took gratefully. After a minute, I broke away and smiled up at Johnny. He was so damn tall... Well, I was short. Carlos had been taller than me and that was saying something.

"Let's go celebrate, Boss."

I shook my head and sighed. "No, Johnny. I need to avenge Carlos before we even think of celebrating. This isn't over yet at all."

Johnny nodded. "Fine, we'll crush Jessica and Maero. But Carlos would want you to have at least one day off."

I knew he was right, and at this point I was about to have a mental breakdown. Surely a drink wouldn't hurt.

"Fine, we'll have a drink or two." I said to Johnny, knowing it was pointless to try and argue with him.

After looking at Carlos' gravesite one more time and putting fresh flowers on Aisha's grave, we headed to the hideout where I could plot my revenge and the others could party.

* * *

**So there we are, a little bit of insight into the Boss' horrible childhood. Don't worry, more will be revealed. The next chapter will be up soon! Thanks for reading, you wonderful people!**


	5. Anger

"You did WHAT?!" Maero smashed his hand into the table, causing it to crack right down the middle and spray splinters everywhere.

Jessica cowered in her seat with her arms up, protecting her face from the stray splinters. She whimpered and lowered her hands while looking at Maero. "I did this for you, Maero."

Maero picked up the table and smashed it against the wall, causing it to smash into a million pieces. "Are seriously that fucking thick?!" He asked, putting his face close to Jessica's.

She ducked and looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry Maero. I thought you wanted to get revenge for what they did to your face..."

Maero growled and proceeded to punch the dry wall, smashing a hole right through into the other room. Startled Brotherhood members stared back at him through the brand new opening in the wall.

He turned around and walked over to one of the remaining chairs, plonking himself down with a grunt. He tried to breathe evenly, trying to calm down, trying to figure out what to do.

"You stupid cow," Maero said to Jessica in a calm voice. "You just gave the Saints the biggest invitation to royally fuck us over. That smarmy bitch will not stop until both of us are in the ground like her precious boy."

Jessica looked up and frowned. "I'm sorry Maero... I just wanted to get revenge for what they did to your ink. I thought that seeing as she ruined my man's face; _I _would ruin that little shit's face."

Maero looked at his girlfriend and grunted. "You could have ripped one of his eyes out or something... You didn't have to fucking kill him!"

"I didn't kill him, Maero. She did!" Jessica said, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, only because you fucking made her do it! She's going to kill all of us personally." Maero walked over to Jessica and suddenly pinned her against the wall. "And you know, honey, I wouldn't be surprised if she chained _you _to a fucking truck and dragged you around the docks."

Jessica whimpered and struggled to get free. "Let me go, Maero," she pleaded, "I won't let her do anything to us. I'll make sure that bitch is buried next to her Hispanic fuck buddy."

Maero smiled and tightened his grip on her arms. "You fucking better, sweetheart. Or I'll make sure you're the one in that graveyard and not her."

He suddenly let go of his girlfriend and let her slip to the ground, holding onto her bruised wrists. He walked out while telling the Brotherhood members to go and do something useful.

* * *

2 Weeks Later...

I stepped into the shower and washed my hair a couple of times. I shaved everywhere and lathered myself with rich smelling soap that made me feel cleaner than I had ever been.

I got out of the shower and proceeded to dry myself, my mind focussed on what I was going to wear. It had to be the perfect outfit for such an occasion. Looking through my small wardrobe, I decided to pick a purple vixen corset with a black leather jacket over it, with black short shorts and gang smash booties. Rummaging through my jewellery box, I decided to wear the Fleur Saint Chain that Carlos had given me on my birthday.

Shaundi walked into my room without knocking and smiled at me. "Welcome back, Boss."

I turned around and returned her smile. "Thanks, Shaundi. Would you mind doing my make-up and hair? I need to look perfect for this."

Shaundi nodded and then frowned. "You going on a date or something?"

I gave a small snort and nodded my head. "No, I'm not going on a date. I'm going to get revenge for Carlos."

I heard Shaundi shuffle her feet awkwardly and give a sigh. "Do you want any help?"

Hands on hips, I turned around and looked at her. "Not you. I need Gat."

"Fine, whatever," Shaundi said, clearly hurt.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," I said, walking over and patting Shaundi on her back. "I just need him for the muscles. I need _you _to try to make me look as beautiful as you."

Shaundi perked up a bit and inspected me, deciding in her mind what make-up I would need. After a while, Shaundi frowned and gave me a sad look. "Boss, do you think Carlos would want you to do this?"

I looked at her sharply. "I don't know Shaundi, but this is certainly going to help me."

"Don't you think Carlos would want you to move on, find a nice guy and settle down?" Shaundi said carefully.

I snorted and looked at her. "What guy would ever want me? I'm a psychopath, remember?"

Shaundi looked at me with a serious face. "I know a guy who likes you already."

"Well, please introduce me to him so I can get married and have his kids." I said sarcastically.

Shaundi cleared her throat. "Johnny likes you..."

Laughter erupted from my chest and I couldn't help but have a decent laugh. I hadn't laughed since Carlos died and it felt good to release it all.

"Ah, good one, Shaundi," I said, wiping a tear from my cheek. "I really needed a good laugh."

Shaundi glared at me, "I'm being serious, Boss. He loves you, ya know."

I turned to meet her eyes and tried to figure out if she was being serious or not. "Ok, Shaundi, even if you are being serious, it's going to take more than a few weeks to get over everything that's happen. And besides, Johnny and I are just friends."

"Bu-" Shaundi tried to speak but I interrupted her.

"I don't think I would be the motherly type."

My lieutenant looked at me and frowned. "Why not? I mean, yeah, you're a killer but don't you want to have little Boss' running around your house?"

"Well, first, I never even wanted kids. I used to fight with Carlos about it; he wanted them but I didn't. Besides, a child would never be safe in this city while the Saint's are still running around."

"Boss, it may still happen one day." Shaundi said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged her hand off and picked up a bottle of perfume, taking the time to spray it on my neck and wrists. "I don't want to talk about it." I patted my wrists against each other, grinding in the perfume.

Shaundi nodded and suddenly smiled at me. "Alright, Boss, let's make you look all girly and pretty!"

* * *

The boot clattered open and I gasped for oxygen through the gag stuffed in my mouth. I realised that my hands were tied behind my back and my feet were bound together. I could hardly see a thing through the black eye I had received.

"Well, well, Jessica Parish." A familiar voice said, breaking the silence.

Oh fucking shit.

* * *

**Ooooh, thanks for reading! Next week we get to see the Boss' revenge! It shall be glorious.**


	6. Revenge

_3 hours earlier_

I would enjoy this, that much I knew. But I needed to hit Maero and Jessica equally as hard. Shaundi suggested killing Jessica and then putting her on display for everyone to see. While that certainly would send a message, it wasn't enough for me.

"Why don't you get that ugly piece of shit to kill his little slag?" Johnny said, taking a sip from his beer.

Shaundi, Pierce and Luke suddenly looked up from their drinks and snapped their eyes on me, gauging my reaction.

I thought it over... It was a good plan, hell; it was a fucking brilliant plan. An eye for an eye; isn't that what they called it? Jessica had killed what I loved, so I should kill what Maero loved; which was Jessica herself.

"It is a pretty good plan, Johnny," I said. "How did you come up with that brilliant scheme?"

Johnny looked at me and held my gaze. "You helped me avenge Eesh. I wanted to help you avenge Carlos."

It affected me, I have to admit. Johnny was my best friend and even when I had chosen Carlos over him, he was still loyal.

I nodded, showing him my gratification. "So what's the plan, Johnny?"

He gulped down the rest of his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "What does Maero love to do most?"

"Be a giant fucking douche?" Shaundi suggested.

"Ruin everyone's lives?" Pierce contributed.

"Murder anyone he doesn't like?" Luke added.

I sighed, "He likes to compete in those stupid Monster truck rallies."

Johnny nodded and opened another beer. "Exactly, Boss. He is always racing in one of those fucking rallies. So, I suggest we use it to our advantage."

"Great, but how?" Shaundi asked with a puzzled look on her face.

But I had already clicked onto what Johnny was suggesting. Yes... This was fucking perfect.

"Sis, what's wrong?" Luke asked, seeing my expression.

I looked up at everyone and rested my eyes on Johnny. "I just realised that Johnny Gat is a fucking genius."

Johnny smirked and looked down at the table. "It's about fucking time."

* * *

Jessica Parish was a pathetic woman when she was bound and gagged. She squirmed and tried to plead with me, telling me she was sorry. But I hadn't made her pay for what she had done. She hadn't suffered enough for my liking.

Now, I have been labelled many things, psychopath included, but if there is one thing I am not, it's sympathetic. I loved the sight of Jessica pleading for her life. I loved the look in her eyes as she realised that she was going to die the way _I_ wanted her to.

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, punching her in the face again.

She gave me a look of pure hatred but stopped squirming and whimpering. I was breathing hard, the adrenaline kicking in. This is what I needed; this is what we all needed... revenge for Carlos.

"So, Jessica, " I suddenly said, "I think you know why you're here in the boot of your own car."

Jessica glared at me and started to say something through her gag. "Don't even try to say something." I said, cutting her mumbles short. "You will just lie there and listen to me, you little bitch." I spit at her, releasing all of my anger in a quick flash.

"You see, we're not so different, you and I." I lit a cigarette and lifted it to my mouth, taking a long, satisfying drag in. "We both had a guy who thought the world of us. We both had someone who loved us, and we both had someone that we loved."

I flicked ash off of my smoke and looked across the bay. It was beautiful if you could get passed the smog and pollution, which I usually could. I loved Stillwater; it was my home. But on this night, I had never loved it more. Guess I was feeling sentimental or some shit.

Taking another puff of my smoke, I looked at Jessica as she stared back at me. She was pretty, but not for much longer.

I continued, "But you see, Jess, there is a big difference between us. Because, you took away that man that I loved and so I'm going to give you what you deserve. Cos you deserve so much more pain than you made Carlos go through. Ok, I admit, that prank I played with Maero's ink was a bitchy thing to do, but he _did _only offer me twenty, remember? You were there that day. So was Carlos, actually."

I paused at the memory; that was the day Carlos told me his true feelings for me. And that was the day that I told him I felt the same way. All of a sudden, I felt sentimental again.

"And, that was the day," I gave a long, dramatic sigh, "that Carlos and I got together. Strange isn't it? That was the shittiest day, but he made it all better. It's amazing how guys can do that."

I shifted on my feet and stretched my arms a bit; this was tiring.

"I read that you had a nice life growing up; parents who loved you, private schooling, and university. Tell me, what caused you to become a gang-banger?"

Jessica continued glaring at me, silently telling me that she hated every ounce of me. I continued on, "Well, Jess, I had a _terrible _upbringing. It was the typical Stilwater upbringing I guess... My mother was drunk all of the time and my real father had walked out on us like the fucking coward he was."

I was breathing hard now; the memories were starting to hurt me. "But, my step-father loved my sister and I. Oh, yeah, he did. Enough to rape us when we turned 10... And then my sister goes and kills herself after she discovered she was pregnant. She was only 16 as well... And then my brother, Luke, abandoned us but he's part of the crew now. I had enough sense to forgive my older brother."

"So when I had turned 17, after years of my daddy raping me, I finally put a bullet in his head. And then Julius Little found me and I became a Saint, working my way up the ranks until Julius betrayed us and then I was the leader... But I'm sure you already know all this, seeing as your boyfriend did background checks on all of us. But, never mind, because you and your boyfriend are going to pay for all of this if it's the last thing I do..."

Jessica glared at me and she moved a little bit, causing something to flash in my eyes.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I reached for the diamond ring on her finger and wrenched it off before she could wrap her fist in a ball. I inspected it closely and realised that the diamond had a purplish tinge to it and it was princess cut. I gasped sarcastically, "Well, Jess, were you going to invite me to your perfect wedding? Or was it going to be a cheap marriage at a drive-thru wedding chapel?"

I put the engagement ring in my pocket and flashed her a smile. "Ya know, Carlos proposed to me. Yeah, only I've never told anyone, so don't say anything." I pretended to remember, 'Oh, that's right. You won't be telling anyone anything in an hour or so. Not with that pretty face of yours smashed in."

I flicked my smoke onto the ground and stamped it out. I had another 10 minutes or so until the rally began.

"It's funny, Jessica, I actually liked you when I first met you."

Jessica widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yeah, stupid, wasn't it? But when Maero introduced us, I thought you could be part of the gang with Shaundi and I, and we could go shopping and get our nails done." I was certainly laying the sarcasm on thick today. "But then you said that little comment about Carlos reminding you of your house cleaner. Ya know, because he was Hispanic. And then I just hated your fucking rotten guts. It was then that I knew that I was going to have to kill you, because _no one_ insults my crew and especially not my boyfriend."

I spat in her face and she squirmed in disgust. I snorted with humour, "Don't worry, sweetie. A bit of my DNA is the least of your worries tonight."

I checked the time on my phone and smiled at Jessica.

"Show time."

* * *

The revs of the engines were deafening and it took every ounce of willpower to not cover my ears. The crowd was going wild and I noticed with disgust that most of the people were the Brotherhood. Fuckin' goons.

I scanned the arena and my eyes landed on Maero. He was getting into his huge monster truck, acting like a prick and waving to the crowd like he was the biggest celebrity on the planet.

I grumbled with disgust and satisfaction as he revved his engine and started forward. He was gaining speed and before I knew it, he was in the air, arms out and still waving to the crowd. There was a sickening _crunch _as his truck landed right on the red and white striped car.

Maero leaped out of his car and raised his arms to the crowd, asking for everyone to cheer for him. I took my hands off of my hips and started to walk towards him. Just to be a snarky little bitch, I clapped my hands sarcastically.

Maero whipped his head towards me and his mouth curled into a snarl. "I'm going to kill you right here, right now!" He shouted, spit spraying everywhere.

"No you're not." I grabbed the keys from my pocket and threw them into his hands.

He looked down at the 'J' keychain and his snarl melted into a look of fear. "What's this?"

"Do me a favour," I said, smiling at him. "When you check the trunk, just remember that you should have offered me something better than twenty percent."

Maero turned around and ran to the trunk of the car, opening the boot. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he looked at the contents of the car.

"Oh," I said, turning on my heel and looking over my shoulder. "And that's for Carlos."

With a smile on my face, I walked out the arena without even looking back.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'll be back with more soon :) And thanks for the awesome reviews!**


	7. Party Crashers

**Hey guys! I'm sorry for the long gap between chapters, but I've been playing Saints Row 2 lately to get a better feel for the story, and there are so many things happening, it's hard to know what bits to add! But anyway, this is based on the mission, Thank You and Goodnight! and I know that Johnny isn't involved, but I thought it would be cool for them to get talking and it was a good opportunity! I hope you guys enjoy, and I've already written the next 2 chapters so they should be up soon. Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

"So Boss, you think we've seen the last of Maero?" Pierce said as he took a huge bite of his Fist burger.

I was sitting in a corner booth at Freckle Bitches with Johnny, Shaundi, Luke and Pierce. I shook my head and munched on a hot chip. "Fuck no; the asshole is big but he's not a fucking idiot. He'll avenge his little girlfriend if it's the last thing he'll do."

"I dunno Boss," Johnny said. "I think that big motherfucker is going to plan something big for what we did."

I shrugged my shoulders and sipped my diet coke. "I was just getting my revenge. If he didn't want to lose Jessica, then he shouldn't have fucked with Carlos or me."

"You did ruin his face with radioactive waste." Luke reminded me.

I raised an eyebrow at my brother. "He shouldn't have offered me twenty percent. Maero and Jessica could be walking down the aisle right now if he hadn't been so tight that he squeaks when he walks."

Shaundi shook her head. "Walking down the aisle?"

I waved my hand. "I found an engagement ring on her hand before she died." I pointed to the ring hanging off a chain, next to the Saint Christopher pendant Carlos had given me. By keeping the ring there, it reminded me that I was getting my revenge.

Pierce let out a laugh. "Shit, can you imagine that big fucker in a tux with his mullet and tattoo's?" The rest of the gang looked at each other and burst out laughing, imagining the ridiculous sight.

"What I can't figure out is how Jessica ended up with him in the first place." Johnny said. "We all know that she grew up in a nice neighbourhood with a wealthy family. What the fuck would drive her to join a gang?"

"Jessica mentioned one time that she had met Maero at a Feed Dogs concert. So either he is incredibly charming somehow or he has a massive package." I said and the gang smiled.

Shaundi let out a laugh. "The Feed Dogs? I used to date the drummer; they're such a pussy band." I stared at her and wondered how many guys she had dated. It sounded like the number was too many for any one person to count.

"Do you think that the douchebag lead singer would know about the shipment seeing as I forgot to ask Jessica? I mean, he's the Brotherhood's tattoo artist so surely he's heard something?"

"Well, they're having a concert tonight," Shaundi said as she munched on a chicken nugget. "It wouldn't be too difficult to crash the party and grill Matt."

The Feed Dogs weren't a well known band, but they were popular with the drugged up Uni students. As much as I wanted to hurt Matt, I couldn't find the logic in harming innocent (to a degree) teenagers who wanted nothing more than a drunken night out.

"Anyone got any ideas?" I ventured, looking around the group expectantly.

Pierce opened his mouth to say something but Shaundi cut him off. "The Feed Dogs always have plenty of fireworks. I'm sure a pyrotechnic accident would jog his memory."

"What the fuck just happened?" Pierce yelled. "I was just about to say that!"

Shaundi shrugged her shoulders and looked at me expectantly. "Oooh, I love it Shaundi." I looked at Pierce. "And don't worry Pierce; I understand that you have ideas. But Jesus man, just come out with it next time!"

* * *

The rumble of the Bootlegger was cut off as soon as we pulled outside the building that was filling up with drunken Uni students who all wore The Feed Dogs t-shirts. Girls wore miniskirts, tight tops, high boots and spiky hair-do's.

"Jesus, I hate teenagers." I grumbled to Johnny who was sitting in the driver's seat. He grunted in agreement and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

I looked down at my own ensemble which consisted of a red tank top, tight black jeans and red canvas shoes. It was essential that I blend in but I felt like the red was burning into my skin, unlike the calm purple that I had come to love more and more each day. Johnny was wearing a red shirt and his usual black pants and he seemed oblivious to the fact that he was wearing the enemy's colours.

Johnny looked at me. "Jesus Boss, you look fine. This isn't a fucking beauty pageant."

"Oh haha Johnny Gat." I said sarcastically. "I fucking know that; I just hate having to wear the Brotherhood's colours." I paused and sighed deeply, holding onto the pendant around my neck. "Especially after what they did."

Gat sighed and pretended to inspect the rear-view mirrors. "Why don't you go to his grave? I haven't seen you there since the funeral."

"Why don't you go and see Aisha?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Johnny shrugged. "I don't want to go alone. I feel too exposed going to see her by myself."

My lieutenant and best friend always had a front, as though he wanted the whole world to know that he was this tough, macho guy who had no feelings. Johnny only ever told me what he was truly feeling and now that Carlos was gone, I did the same to him.

"Tell you what, why don't we go to see them tomorrow?" I suggested, resting my hand on his. "They're in the same cemetery, so we can be there to support each other."

Johnny smiled gratefully at me and squeezed my hand. "Boss, I like the way you think."

I was about to say something else but was interrupted by a bunch of teenagers screaming as Matt sauntered into the rundown building. He could be good-looking if it weren't for the tribal tattoos, millions of face piercings and a weird mullet. The brotherhood weren't exactly concerned about looking good, unlike the Saints.

"What a fucking pussy." Gat said as Matt signed autographs.

I gave a small laugh. "Tell me about it."

When Matt disappeared from sight, Johnny and I jumped out of the car and mixed with the crowd, holding hands so we wouldn't get separated. The teenagers were so loud that we couldn't talk to each other but we signalled to each other in our own language that we developed four years ago. Finally, when we were in the building, we made a bee-line for the bar where free drinks were being served. Thank god, because there was no fucking way I was paying for a drink supplied by the Brotherhood. The beer was bitter and fizzy, obviously a cheap lager that was bought at the last minute; it wasn't even cold.

"So what's the plan?" Johnny asked as he scanned the room.

"We break up the concert to make a statement and I'll grab Matt while you get everyone out of here. I want to send a message to Maero, but I don't want to hurt these teenagers."

A young girl, maybe 18, came up to Johnny and whispered in his ear. I glared at her and her short skirt, a revealing red corset and tall stripper boots. Johnny gave her an uneasy smile and glanced at me.

I cleared my throat and stepped between Johnny and the young girl. "Can you please fuck off sweetie?" The girl glared at me and raised a clenched fish but scampered away when I pulled my gun out and held it to her stomach.

"Jesus Boss, protective much?"

Scowling, I punched him in the arm. "Fuck you Gat. We're here to get information about the shipment, not fuck our brains out with stupid, drunk teenagers."

Johnny snorted and continued to scull his cheap beer down. We had been here for 20 minutes and Matt the Fuckhead still hadn't come onto the stage. I was just about to drag him on stage myself, but was interrupted by the sudden cheering of the crowd and The Feed Dogs started playing a crappy sound that was basically noise.

"I don't see how these kids like this shit." Johnny said.

"They're all high, that's why."

Gat laughed and elbowed me in the ribs, giving me the signal. "Right, it's time. You grab Matt and I'll get these kids out of here."

I nodded and made my way through the crowd while Johnny made sure the doorway was clear. Climbing the steps two at a time, I reached the stage before Matt had noticed and proceeded to smack him over the head with a Gibson Electric Blue guitar. He fell to the ground and the crowd and the band fell silent. The Feed Dogs band members suddenly swarmed around me but I pulled my pistol out and pointed it in the bassist's face.

"Back off." I growled and then raised my gun to the air, shooting the ceiling. The Uni students screamed and ducked for cover while Johnny ushered them out of the door. Within seconds, Matt and I were the only ones left in the room.

I grabbed the front of Matt's top and held him close to my face. The fear in his face was fan-fucking-tastic. "What's the shipment?" I growled before tossing Matt into the drum kit.

He scrambled up and tried to find his feet but couldn't find the strength and fell down again. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He cried incredulously.

Well, looks like this wasn't going to be easy so I grabbed the drum's symbol and aimed for Matt's head, smacking him right in the face. He fell on the ground with an _ooph._

"Don't fuck with me Matt." I said, walking towards him. "You've got a lotta gear on this stage I haven't played with yet." I pulled my pistol out once again and waved it in front of his face.

Matt crab-walked away from me and reached the edge of the stage. "You've got to believe me, I just tattoo the gang – they don't fill me in with what they're doing."

I didn't believe his bullshit for one fucking second. _Of course _he knew; he had to. "All that time you inked up Maero and you never heard him talk about a shipment with Jessica?"

Matt held his hand up in self-defence as I aimed a kick at him head. "All I heard was that it was coming in by boat... they leave me out of the loop on purpose. They were trying to keep me from getting mixed up in their shit."

I laughed a small bitter laugh. "Your friends should have tried harder."

"Come on, I told you everything I know!" Matt said, starting to panic.

I kicked his arm over the fireworks hole and held it there with my canvas shoe. I smiled down sweetly at him. "Enjoy your retirement, Matt."

The stage filled up with light as I kicked down hard on the button for the fireworks. The fireworks slowly made their way down to Matt before his arm was completely engulfed in light and smoke. A loud, pained scream escaped his mouth and I remember with a pang that it was the exact sound Carlos had made as I rolled him over after being dragged through the docks. The anger flashed through me and I kicked Matt's injured arm before storming out of the door and jumping into the Bootlegger. Johnny started the engine as I dialled Shaundi's number on my phone.

"Hey, Shaundi."

"Sup?" She drawled slowly, obviously high as a kite.

I sighed as Johnny pulled away from the curb, heading back into the city. "You know anyone who works at the docks?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone as Shaundi inhaled smoke through her purple bong. "Not really."

"Looks like you get to make new friends." I said with a smile. "Maero's got a shipment coming in by boat and I want to get to it before he does."

"Okay, I'll take care of it." Shaundi said and I hung up.

Johnny cleared his throat and glanced sideways at me. "So how's Matt?"

"Let's just say that he won't be making shit music anymore. The little shit knew nothing about the goddamn shipment; Maero is smarter than he looks." I grumbled.

"Never mind, Boss. Hey, how about we go and get a bite to eat?"

I smiled at Johnny and shrugged. "Sure, I could go for a greasy burger right now."

"Now you're talking!" Johnny screamed as we raced into the empty city.

* * *

**Seriously, fuck the Brotherhood.**


End file.
